IT troubleshooters receive pay rises of 32%

Pay for IT ‘troubleshooters’ has shot up by nearly one-third, while IT security consultants have seen pay rates soar by 22%, according to research.

Average pay for IT staff has risen 3% in the past six months, but the increase in complex IT projects, particularly in the finance and government sectors, has put a premium on troubleshooting skills, with pay rates leaping 32% in a year.

The survey of 5,000 IT staff, by the Association of Technology Staffing Companies, shows salaries for permanent troubleshooting staff rise from £30,000 to £44,000 and from £43 to £50 an hour for contractors.

The need to combat threats to data security has also pushed up salaries for security consultants – from £37,000 last year to £45,000 in 2005, while rates for contractors have jumped from £40 to £50 an hour over the same period.

Employment rates are healthy across the IT sector, with 8% unemployed in the second quarter of 2005 – down from 12% at the end of 2004 and 26% at the beginning of 2003.